Integration of Omics Approaches to Profile the Venom of the Bothrops moojeni snake: unreavelling new toxins and ontogenic divergences

Abstract

Snakebites are considered a health problem in most tropical countries and Bothrops genus is major cause of accidents in Brazil. Bothrops moojeni belongs to the Viperidae family, popularly known as "caiçara" or "jararacão" and is found in the Midwest and Southeast of Brazil. The accident is characterized by proteolytic (or necrotizing), coagulant and hemorrhagic activities. The snake venom is a rich source of toxins that could be viewed as new drug candidates and potential biotechnological tools. However, the classical purification approaches tend to be laborious to get an overview of the venom components. Thus, the omics techniques (transcriptome and proteome/peptidome) are important tools to determine the venom composition, perform an evolutionary characterization, identify new toxins, understand the envenoming and characterize the antivenom, which allows the production of a more effective serum. Additionally, it is important to understand how some factors (such as genders) may influence the composition of the venom. Futhermore, until this date, there is no transcriptome/proteome studies with Bothrops moojeni snake. In this context, this internship aim to apply mass spectrometry in order to perform the proteome and peptidome of the B. moojeni snake venom. These results will be integrated with transcriptomic study that was performed in Brazil, providing an in depth characterization of full transcripts and expressed toxins of this snake's venom gland. In addition, we aim to associate the omics techniques in order to evaluate the ontogenic divergences between the genders. This detailed evaluation may be helpful to increase the effectiveness of antivenom production and search for new therapeutic and/or biotechnological components. The Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry of the University of Liège has a remarkable technological expertise concerning to proteomic studies with the most efficient mass spectrometers and software for analysis and omics data's integration. Moreover, this internship will promote the exchange of knowledge through interaction with international researchers, as well as the improvement of the technological expertise of the candidate and the research group.